Weapons fit-out commences on Indian stealth frigate

Moscow: Russian naval shipyard Yantar has begun the process of installing weapons on the first of three stealth frigates, INS Teg, being constructed by it for India at a Kaliningrad-based naval shipyard under a $1.6 billion deal signed in 2007. The Krivak-class stealth frigate 'INS Teg' was 'floated out' by the yard recently.

 

INS Talwar

"Two torpedo units are being installed on the Teg frigate, which was launched on November 27. The works are on schedule. The Teg has been armed with a BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile battery," Sergei Mikhailov, a spokesman for Yantar was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS.

"Installing the weapons on board the frigate is in accordance with the construction schedule of the ship," Mikhailov added.

Earlier ships of the Krivak 1135.6, or  the 'Talwar' class, were supplied by the St Petersburg-based Baltiisky Zavod shipyard. While INS Talwar was the lead ship, others were the INS Trishul and INS Tabar.

The contract for the three follow-on ships was given to the Yantar shipyard and these have been designated as INS Teg (Sabre), INS Tarkash (Quiver) and INS Trikand (Bow). These names continue an Indian naval tradition of naming warships of the same class beginning with same letter.

The first ship, INS Teg is 70 per cent ready and will be delivered to the Indian Navy in 2011, while the other two frigates would be handed over in 2012.